St. Augustine

February 23 and 24th, 2016 

I have to be honest, hand scratching writing notes in the car (so my addled brain doesn't forget all the things that happen) about our days isn't working for my over-organized brain.  Scribbled on scraps of paper and napkins litter the floor of the passenger side of our car and I realized today that I messed up and forgot to include our trip to beautiful St. Augustine, Florida last week.  

Doug and I have just been having too much FUN and RELAXATION and I've been a sloth about blogging.  "I'll do it tomorrow, when I'm fresh", then we take off .... "I'll do it this evening", then we sit by the fire and I blow it off again.  I love blogging.  It's a great way to keep in touch with ya'll, but, the lazy casual life on "Tybee Time" is impossible to resist.  It's comfortably warm.  We are all relaxed.  No schlepping wood for the wood stoves, no horse chores as Emma has the farm totally under control, no shoveling my way out of the house with frozen shut snow-clogged doors to walk Zuma, who, at this time of year in Maine, refuses to venture outside.  Ice and snow limit my exercise too.  Here, if we need ice or firewood, we simply ask the Camp Hosts when they go by on their golf carts or call the office.  It is promptly delivered to our door.  No driving or plowing through snowbanks.  No wrestling logs for the wood stove, no sweeping up afterwards.  I could so get used to these luxury services.

We've been taking day trips the past few days and exploring the area, going out for meals wherever dogs are welcomed (pretty much everywhere if the dining facility houses a deck).  Water bowls are generously provided without requesting them.  Zuma appreciates all the "room service".  No way would we abandon her in the RV and go out for dinner.  We wouldn't have a nice time if we had to leave her.  She is so well-behaved wherever go, she just lays down until someone makes a fuss of her.  Then the tail starts waving and a crowd draws near.  Zuma just loves it.  We have met multitudes of good people because of Zuma.  

Sometimes it's difficult to shove a mouthful of salad in my mouth without it tumbling out while I stammer to answer questions. But that's okay, it's fine.  

A friend of mine traveled with me to Cayo Costa, Florida a few times the past few years;  we hopped on a ferry to Cabbage Key for lunch.  Famous for the reputation that Jimmy Buffett wrote one of his hits, "Cheeseburger in Paradise", it is a popular place.  The restaurant staff wear these shirts, answering the most frequently asked questions about the menu and the $ amount of bills tacked to the walls (all donated to charity annually):

I joked with Doug that I should get a t-shirt made for Zuma.  It would read:

Zuma
Great Dane
He's a She
4 years old in April
4 cups kibble a day

Last Sunday I met a woman who has owned Danes; she whispered to me:  "Don't you wish you had a dollar for every time people asked "Do you have a saddle for that horse?".  We had a good laugh.  Yeh.  I'd be a millionaire.

When Doug is here he takes over and is really great at public relations. While people sometimes shy away from this large dark beast, we welcome the generosity of people's genuine love and understanding of Great Danes and other large breed dogs.  If this trip does anything, it will hopefully inspire people to recognize that big dogs are nice dogs.  

We didn't start out on this trip thinking it would take the twists and turns it's taken, but that's life, it's the journey, not the destination.  I welcome the ever-evolving way our travels are taking us. While Zuma is still young enough to do this, I want to keep traveling with her and Doug. It would be even more perfect if Emma were here, she is an excellent dog handler and Zuma worships her.

The main problem with Great Danes is that they don't live long. We knew that going in.  Their life expectancy is 7 - 8 years because of heart and hip conditions.  We keep her fit and don't overdo it.  She and Emma are "our kids".  Sadly, Emma is so busy with her many jobs she cannot join us right now but hopefully soon .... She was Zuma's rescuer and Zuma goes insane when she sees Emma.  She knows.  She knows.  And she is like an elephant.  She never forgets who saved her.

Anyway, back on topic!  We tripped to St. Augustine, Florida and we loved it.  On the way to St. Augustine we detoured and visited Amelia Island and a darling little town called Fernandina Beach where we popped into The Palace Saloon, apparently "Florida's Oldest Saloon", according to one of the tour books I am using for research.  

St. Augustine is a gorgeous, historic place, with a tiny center filled with old buildings, shops and homes.  St. Augustine was founded in 1565, the streets are narrow and the tourists fill them.  Fogler College has residency in a gorgeous palatial like set of buildings.

The architecture is definitely Spanish-inspired.

Zuma hung out in the a/c while we had a two hour walk around St. Augustine and I walked her later in the day when it was cooler (it was in the low 80s until almost 5 p.m.).  She felt refreshed then and we were able to walk a couple of miles near the hotel without exhausting her.  

We ordered Mexican takeout from La Cocina for dinner, it was without a doubt the best Mexican food I've ever tasted.  Fresh, innovative, a true, honest Mexican meal.

The following day on the way home to Tybee, we stopped by "Citrus World" in Florida and "Peach World" in Georgia, both tourist traps I couldn't resist.  Kelly had a chuckle about this:  "I would never stop by those places" she scoffed.  "Well, it's for the blog" I rationalized.  We giggled.  Both were let downs but Doug and I tried.  We bought peach cider (no alcohol) and we'll partially freeze it to make slushy drinks on a hot day.